TAKING THE TEETH OUT OF DEADLY HIGHWAY93
Dixon: A combination of tougher traffic law enforcement and increasing caution among drivers is seen as the reason for the third straight death-free month on reservation roads.
Tribal Lawand Order reports that there were no fatal accidents on reservation roads
and highways during November. Nor were there any deaths during October or September. The number of accidents on reservation roads had also declined in November. During September there were 28, October had 32 and November had 26.
The Law and Order monthly traffic safety report, however, noted that there were 58 persons involved and 16 injured in accidents during November.
Tribal Police Chief Lloyd Jackson does not feel that the astounding quarterly highway
safety record is luck. He said that law enforcement on the reservation...primarily tribal police and state Highway Patrol...were "cracking down on speeders, reckless drivers and drunks." He also credited "a new awareness of driver safety"
Highways (page 8 and 9)
THE NEWSPAPER OF THE SALISH, PEND'd ORIELLES AND KOOTENAI TRIBES OF THE FLATHEAD RESERVATION
15 C
HAR-KOOSTA
VOLUME 4 NUMBER 16
FULL MOON OF CONTINUOUS SNOW (December 15,1974)
COUNCIL, BIA FOCUS ON FORESTRY
Ronan: "We are going to have to decide how our forests can be managed for the greatest economic benefit to the Tribe, keeping in mind sound conservation practices." That is the way Tribal Councilman Tom "Bearhead" Swa-ney characterized the objective of a series of special meetings between the Council and BIA foresters on resource management problems.
During the first of the series, held at the Bureau Agency Headquarters in Ronan, Dec. 9., the Council outlined several areas where conflicts exist between current forestry practices and other uses of reservation timber lands. Councilman Vic Stinger, Pablo, noted that among the most important of these management problems was game and wildlife. Stinger said that the current forestry plan did not "seem to take in the value and importance of big game management to the Tribes". He specifically pointed out timber sale scheduling ...which, as in the case of the scheduled Irvine and Revais creek sales, can leave entire game ranges under intensive
logging or barren of cover. Stinger also said that BIA logging road policy created too much pressure on game. Tribal Member Thurman Tros-per, who is currently President of the National Wilderness Association, agreed, noting that "roads are always inimical to elk . . . lots of roads, no elk!'
Swaney pointed out that the main reason that game is not being considered in the forestry plan is due to the Council's inability to act as both policy makers and managers. "We can't make policy because we don't know anything about forestry or business," he said. He suggested that the Council carefully consider establishing a resource or business board "which would act as a buffer between us (the Council) and business enterprises". He said the Council would still have the power to make general policy but the Board would interpret policy into a management plan and oversee forestry operations.
Trosper disagreed, saying that the Council was already in the position to set sound policy and he argued that policy
should have political considerations. Trosper agreed with Swaney, however, that the Council cannot both set policy and act as managers and suggested that instead of a resource board, the Council hire a resource manager whose job would be to see that specific Council policy be implemented on a day to day basis. Trosper said that a unit-by-unit management plan....tailored to the
specific needs of each area.....
be worked out between the Council, a tribal forest manager and BIA forestry.
Trosper, who is also a former Superintendent of the Bitter-root National Forest in Southwestern Montana, says that other forest products should be carefully considered in a management plan. He noted that the highest annual net gain for forest lands comes from Christmas Tree cutting rather than saw-log management. He proposed that Christmas Tree production be emphasized in overall and specific unit plans.
Other areas of forest land management which were cited as problems are:
(continued on page 2)
NO X-MAS PER CAPITA
PAYMENT
Dixon: Many people around the reservation, and probably elsewhere, are wondering what has become of the annual Christmas per-capita payment this year.
A year ago, each tribal member received a $240 Christmas present from the tribe on Dec. 23. In previous years smaller per-capitas had also been distributed in December. So what happened to Santa Clause this year?
Tribal Secretary Fred Houle explained that a 1972 council resolution provides for a single annual payment in August based on the actual tribal income for the preceeding year.
The resolution, according to Houle, replaced a policy of making quarterly payments projected on the estimated income for ensuing quarter. One of the quarterly payments was issued in December for the months of January, February and March.
Houle said the old system X-mas Present (see page 2)